Hungarian investigative journalist severely beaten

BUDAPEST, June 23 (Reuters) A Hungarian journalist, who had reported on the illegal oil dealings of the 1990s, has been beaten and is in hospital with life-threatening injuries, national news agency MTI reported today.

A spokesman for Budapest police told Reuters an angler had found a woman bound up yesterday night by the Danube river and she was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The spokesman could not reveal her identity due to the ongoing investigation, but MTI reported it was Iren Karman, 40, who had written a book entitled ''Facing the Mafia'' on illegal oil dealings of Hungarian criminal gangs and police corruption.

The Association of Hungarian Journalists (MUOSZ) said it had had talks with Karman a few days ago about the presentation of a documentary entitled ''Oiled relations''.

''We have no certainty about the real reasons for the attack, yet we find it important to express our solidarity in connection with this unprecedented atrocity through this statement,'' MUOSZ said on its Web page.

MTI said in November a bag containing court documents relating to her book and a documentary recorded on a tape had been stolen from Karman's car.

REUTERS SR VC2122